The Drama-less College Years….. Right?

By: jvogel54321

Disclaimer: Nope not mine. (yet…)

A/N: This will be the last chapter of this episode. I really hoped to separate the characters and establish the new status quo for each of them and introduce some of the faces we will see a lot of in this series (Jesse, Layla and Prof. Bernard). So enjoy the end of this story and look for the introduction chapter for episode three shortly.

Episode Two: The Brave New World (Chapter Nine)

The next morning Ryan rolled over to wrap his arm around the warm body next to him. Instead of that he rolled off his bed and landed with a loud thud on the bare dorm room floor. Rubbing his head, he imagined a sizable bump from the three-foot fall would develop in a little while. Standing up, Ryan noticed his bed was empty, as was the entire room. Turning his head back and forth again, perhaps half expecting a different result each time, Ryan eventually decided to just get up.

Walking over to his mini-fridge for some orange juice, Ryan pushed the blinds open. Outside he saw the sun beginning to rise over the campus to the east. He felt unexpectedly content. He never really thought he would be the type of person to feel that way after a one-night stand. But here he was standing in his room smiling at nobody. When he opened the fridge he took out the carton of orange juice. Shaking it, he found it unexpectedly empty.

"Guess she was thirsty," Ryan told himself.

Reaching down again he found the quart of milk was also empty.

"Really thirsty."

Walking over to his closet, Ryan threw on a t-shirt and noticed a post-it note stuck to the mirror on his door. Rubbing the last remnants of sleep from his eyes, he pulled it off the mirror and read Layla's note.

I figured it would be easier if I weren't here in the morning. Great time though. Remember; no need to talk about it later. Cute kid. Are you seeing someone?

The last sentence had two lines crossing it out, but leaving it legible enough to read. Ryan smirked when he read the question. This girl sure liked mixing messages. The fact that she wrote it means that she cared. The fact that she crossed it out meant she didn't. But the fact that she just drew a line through it and didn't write a new note meant she wanted him to know she was conflicted about it. Taking the note back with him, Ryan sat at the desk squeezed between his bed and the front door and attached it to his monitor. For the life of him, he couldn't figure her out. What kind of girl has a one-night stand and still dots her "I"s with smiley faces? She could have at least apologized for drinking everything he had. Well, she did leave a can of Pepsi and some apple juice.

Going back to the fridge for the juice, Ryan saw another note, this one on the back of the OJ carton he had thrown in the garbage.

Sorry about the juice (and milk). At least you got something out of it ;)

Ryan just shook his head, put this note on his computer next to the other and went back to his closet to get ready for his second day at UCLA. He wondered how it would compare to the first.

Seth sat alone in the apartment kitchen later the same morning. Sipping a cup of coffee, he turned a page in the copy of The New Yorker that he was reading. After a minute, he glanced down at his watch again. It was now ten after eight in the morning. He opened his mouth to call for Marissa, but stopped and spent a moment laughing to himself. Taking a little time, to put on his most serious face, he began, "It's ten aft—"

"I'm still not talking to you Cohen!" Marissa called from the bathroom.

Seth put his magazine down, unable to stop himself from laughing out. It was just loud clear enough to carry down the short hallway.

"Are you laughing at me! How can you find this funny!"

Marissa came into view wearing a USC Trojans shirt with her hair still unkempt and sticking out in various directions. She was literally hopping into her jeans at the moment.

"Uh, Coop—"

"You aren't Coop-ing your way out of this. How could you let me sleep in until eight?"

"Are you—"

"I only have five more minutes. Stop smiling," Marissa said as her own lips curled into one. "Look at me."

"I almost always am. And even if the Trojan community at large doesn't agree with me, I love your bed-head. By the way, you're still wearing yesterday's underwear."

Looking down, Marissa responded, "It figures THAT you notice. I can't believe I put on the same pair I just took off. Alright, I'll be ready in two minutes, but I damn well better not see you smiling."

Seth quickly picked up his magazine and held it closely over his face before saying, "No problem there."

Marissa ran in the bathroom to change and comb out her hair. Looking in the mirror as she furiously tried to straighten out her hair, Marissa asked herself, "What the hell did I do last night to end up like this?"

"Peeking his eyes over the top of the magazine Seth answered, "Had dinner, cleaned our former-disaster area of a living room and had sex… twice, hence you slept through the alarm while I got up."

"Oh yeah," she quipped. "Must not have been that memorable."

In the mirror, she saw Seth mockingly fall in pain to the hallway floor. Walking into the hall, she picked up her shoes and stood directly over him.

"I should be mad at you."

"You! Who just insulted who sexually?"

"Why can we never have a fight?" she asked, sitting on his chest as she tied her shoes. We she stood up, Seth took in a deep breath.

"Is that a problem?"

"It's weird being together with someone with no fights or problems or even a little panic attack for nearly three months. I think we're setting my personal record," Marissa said as she reached down and took Seth's hand and pulled him up to his feet.

"Same here. Although I think things will be smoother in the long run if you don't insult my bedroom skills so much."

"Well I could tell all my friends that you're hot. Would that make you happy?" she playfully asked him.

"Since your friends are me, your sister and my ex-girlfriend," Seth rattled off, "I have to say that would only make me happy 33.3 percent of the time."

"You're too cute, Cohen," she said as he handed her a coffee in a thermos to take with her. "Thanks. God, I love you."

Seth froze in his tracks. She had pretty much said it to herself. Maybe she didn't even mean to say it out loud. But she did. I should say something before—

Just then Marissa paused and looked at him. Both of their faces turned a shade towards red. She looked away and took a drink of her coffee. Running her hand through her hair, she glanced up at him, looking for a response in his face.

As he opened his mouth, Marissa quickly suggested, "We should get going. Don't want to be late for our first Tuesday class."

She walked over to the couch and picked up both of their book bags. Before she could turn around, he was pressing up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, grabbing the bags. After kissing her neck, he said, "You beat me to the punch there, huh? Well, Marissa Cooper, I do love you, too. Maybe I haven't said it before, but I've felt it and tried to show it for a while now. I love you."

Letting her go, he swung his backpack over his shoulder and held her hand a moment before they walked out the door together.

"Well, I'm glad I recognize so many faces from yesterday," the teacher said as the bell rang. "Welcome to journalism class everyone. For those of you who didn't attend the first newspaper meeting last night, I'm Ms. Helen Watson and I'll be your instructor for this elective class."

Halfway back through the class in the aisle by the window, Caitlin looked up from her notebook at the teacher. This was definitely going to be her favorite day of the week. For Tuesdays, Caitlin started with a study hall. She was happy to see that was the one period she shared in common with Jesse. It was good to at least see a friend once a day outside of lunchtime. And of course, she got to continue the morning with her journalism class. She found herself really looking forward to that Thursday's meeting when she would get her first assignment.

Ms. Watson mentioned every student getting a copy of the Associated Press Style Guide for the class and while most of the students groaned, Caitlin quietly tapped her pen on the copy she had her mom stop and get last night after dinner. She wouldn't call herself 'excited' but Caitlin was at least glad Seth had convinced her to give it a shot. And if the opportunity to slightly mock cheerleaders, jocks or rich prisses in print came up, she wouldn't turn the opportunity down.

At the end of the class, Ms. Watson asked her to wait a minute to speak with her. Picking up her bag, Caitlin went and stood by her desk as the other students walked out, whispering about her. She had to wonder why whenever ANYTHING that made her stand out in the smallest way happened, people thought it was something worthy of giggles and mockery.

"So Caitlin, we're really thrilled to have you take such an interest in the paper so quickly."

"Yeah, that's me. Ms. Involved."

"Well you made quite an impression on one of the editors yesterday. Do you know Josh Mason?"

Thinking back to last night, Caitlin remembered the impossibly cute junior sitting next to Claire Wilson, the editor-in-chief. Yeah, there he was. Josh Mason: 6-2, 190 lbs, dark blonde hair and looked more like a sports star than sports editor.

"I saw him the other night," she said, and then added, "at the meeting."

"Well he wants you."

Before her heart could pound all of the way out of her chest and splatter her teacher, she questioned, "Huh? Me?"

"He spoke to Claire and myself after the meeting last night and requested for you to join the sports staff."

"The sports staff? Wow, I never really thought—"

"Well, Claire mentioned you had once been quite a good athlete, a rider I think, and the samples you submitted were rough, but plenty of potential. It's a chance to write for the most popular section of the paper right from the start. You'll have to see Josh for your assignment, but I think he might plan on starting you on girl's soccer and maybe give you a shot at basketball in the winter if you take to it. We all think you could just be a crackerjack in that section."

"It's just.. I'm not sure if sports is the area of journalism I really wanted to get into. I was thinking more along the lines of you know news with a little more depth."

"Well, I think Claire already has most of the front section reporters picked out, but we can talk to both her and Josh at the next meeting. Remember no small stories, only small reporters. You'll be there right?"

"Oh sure," Caitlin added, trying to sound more enthused than she really was. "With bells."

Out in the hall, she headed of toward the science wing, not paying much attention to where she was going when a water polo player player nearly twice her size rammed into her shoulder as he ran down the hall. As she bent and picked up the books she had just dropped, Caitlin heard something being yelled back at her involving the word geek. Oh God, she thought, maybe I should be the sports reporter. Being popular with the jocks wouldn't be all bad. She might even become popular with circles she would otherwise not approach.

"Hey Woodward," Jesse said as he walked towards her as she stood back up. "How goes day numero dos?"

"Well, somebody enjoyed Spanish class a little too much."

"Some things I take to like a fish to water. It's a gift. Did journalism not kick all manner of butt?"

"Not quite, Jess. They want to turn Bob Woodward into a 'crackerjack' sports reporter."

"I don't suppose that flies with you, huh?"

"Did you not hear the 'crackerjack' part?" Caitlin asked rhetorically as she made the quote signs in the air.

"I got a question for you," Jesse said with a slight smile. "So am I still your hero?"

"Maybe, why?"

"Might be my Chem Lab partner is Jennifer Hicks."

"Editor of the Nation page?"

"Yep, least read, most completely ignored single page section in the paper. Perfect for an outcast idealist like yourself. I might be convinced to make an introduction."

"What makes you think I'm an idealist?"

"Oh, I can spot one of you a mile away," Jess got out before a senior football player slapped him on the back of the head, yelling something about Freshmen!. The decision to be popular or unique didn't take too much thought after that.

"Please God, if you don't I'll have to interview people like him for a living."

"Hey, and people like me."

"Yeah, you're the exception to the rule. I mean a cool athlete? How often will I run across one like you?"

"Once in a lifetime, once in a lifetime. Meet me tomorrow right before lunch outside Room 5 in the science building and I'll make the intro. Cool, Cait?"

"Just call me Woodward, Jess. But not in front of large groups of people."

Kirsten fidgeted with a new pen for several minutes before realizing she had seriously chewed up the cap. How did it end up like this? The previous night at dinner had been perhaps the single most enjoyable Cohen-Cooper dinner in history. Everyone was so positive and happy. Everyone except Kirsten, that is. She didn't mean to be so down in the dumps. In fact, the dinner started off fine. She was content now that she new that she and Sandy would be talking to the boys that night. She decided that she could put them out of her mind for the evening.

The first Cooper to start to get on Kirsten's nerves had actually been Caitlin. She had gone into detail about the newspaper. At first she thought it was wonderful that the young girl found an activity she enjoyed so quickly. But her line of discussion turned towards how Seth had suggested it to her. That evolved into how she already perfected the outcast attitude of Seth Cohen after only a single day. Kirsten really tried not to be a grump about it, but she almost reached for her cell phone a couple of times to call Seth. It didn't go overlooked by either of the Cohen parents how Caitlin expertly skated around the issue of Seth and Marissa being a couple even if she talked about the two of them constantly for several minutes. She wondered how Julie didn't catch on to it.

The contents of Julie's concentration at the time became their own long discussion point. Julie explained how wonderful the new offices were and went over her plans for the future. She planned on expanding the business out of just the Newport Beach elite throughout the entirety of Orange County. Her plans, surprisingly, made sense to Sandy of all people. And for Julie Cooper, extending their services outside of the top 1 seemed nearly hospitable of her. Even Sandy offered several words of encouragement for them on how well things seemed to be moving.

By the end of the meal, Kirsten practically pulled Sandy out the door and raced home to call the boys. Even if she had seen them the day before, Kirsten couldn't concentrate on anything except the permanence all of the recent changes to her life seemed to be taking. The long summer without Ryan around had been bad enough, but losing Seth so quickly only dragged her thoughts back two summers ago and the memories were not pleasant. When they arrived home, they quickly dialed the number for Seth's apartment only to discover he still had not connected the phone. Trying his cell they were sent to voicemail after several rings. Kirsten left a message explaining they just wanted to check up of him. She tried not to let her voice sound as desperate as she might have been. When Ryan likewise didn't answer she didn't even bother to leave a message. Even Sandy's kiss and words of comfort couldn't break her out of her funk this time. When he went to bed that night, Kirsten actually stood in front of the fridge staring at a bottle of wine for five minutes before finally thinking better of it and joining Sandy in bed.

As she finished destroying her second pen cap of the morning, Kirsten watched Julie direct around the furniture movers. How she had found everything so quickly, amazed her partner. Here it was just one in the afternoon and Kirsten was sitting behind her new glass desk, looking over five resumes Julie had dropped in front of her 10 seconds after the desk itself was put in place. They needed a receptionist to handle the phones and filing. On cue, Kirsten looked up out her front door to see a large filing cabinet being wheeled through the front door by two large men.

It then occurred to her how long Julie had been planning this. She apparently had everything set to go, but had been waiting on Kirsten to make up her mind. Julie had probably met with more than a couple furniture suppliers and read through many more resumes before handing Kirsten the choices that she most preferred. Even if they had just gotten back from lunch, Kirsten felt compelled to get out of the offices as quickly as possible. The changes in her life felt like they were getting ready to crush her. As she reached for her purse, the cell phone inside began ringing. Sitting back in her chair, Kirsten pulled it out to see a familiar name on the Caller ID.

"Hi honey," she answered the phone.

"Hey Mom," Seth replied as he skated along the campus sidewalks. "Got your message. What's new in the last, um, 35 hours?"

"Can't a mother miss her growing baby boy," Kirsten asked. She began smiling at Seth's playful tone.

"I suppose this might qualify on smothering, but I'll let you off the hook due to extenuating circumstances."

"Which are?"

"I missed you too."

"Well thanks. How's school going so far?"

"Well, accepting the fact that I might be biased by the nice lunch Marissa and I just ate, I have to say its going okay. Met the requisite teacher that will change my life, made a couple of nice acquaintances and…"

"And what?"

"Well, keep this on the down-low, especially from you-know-who, but Marissa and I, had the L-word talk this morning."

"What happened?" Kirsten said. She was loud enough for Julie to poke her head in the door with a questioning look before being shooed off.

"Do you even have to ask?" Seth responded with a smirk before continuing. "Actually with my track record not that bad a question. Things went as well as these things go. But… um.. you got time to answer a two fold Seth-Cohen-is-an-insecure-fool questions?"

"Well, considering nopthing in the last couple of days has made me as happy as this conversation, I think I can spare a couple minutes to put your fears to rest."

Kirsten leaned back in her chair and removed the pen cap from her mouth and tossing it in the trash basket. On the other end of the phone, Seth rolled to a stop outside of the campus library and leaned against the wall.

"Well the first is, do you think its weird Marissa and I haven't had a full on fight yet? I mean we come close, but my charm and her beauty have managed to keep the ship righted."

"Well, it's going to happen eventually Seth. And maybe it'll be soon if you're already waiting for the other shoe to drop. But as long as you don't look at it as the end of the relationship and just as part of it, you'll get through it all right."

"Yeah, I figured you'd impart some-such wisdom. Part two is the humdinger though. Wow, I just said humdinger. Is there anyway you think we can be okay with Ryan again and still avoid our first fight? See, I might, MIGHT, might, have called Ryan and left a couple messages asking him to hang out sometime, which he isn't replying to. And it is within the realm of possibilities that I did not tell Marissa about said phone calls."

"Seth…"

"I know, I know, but you know me. I'm always trying to get things back to the way they were before. I can't be talked out of it or stopped. It's just an involuntary compulsion. But now I'm torn between making everyone friends again without reminding Marissa how completely and utterly in love with Ryan she was."

"You can't think everything can be the way it was and you and Marissa can still be together. I mean a big part of both Ryan and Marissa was that they were a couple."

"Don't underestimate my ability to delude myself, Mother."

"You want this motherly advice or not Seth?" Kirsten asked leaning forward. After a moment she took his silence for an affirmation. "First off, if you want to avoid a fight I suggest talking to Marissa about how you feel about Ryan and your relationships. But sometimes in life, we have to accept that where we were and where we're going can't be the same place. That doesn't mean I the future won't be just as good, or even better."

"Wow, Mom, this little ditty of ours has been surprisingly comforting and even educational. Thanks for hearing me out."

"You too, Seth."

"Well, I'm going take your wisdom and add to it that of many, many library books now, so I'll talk to you soon."

"Study hard and be good. Give my love to Marissa."

"No prob. Oh, one last thing, we did want to spend a couple weeks at school, you know, just the two of us, but you think we could come, God I never imagined in my life I would say this, back to Newport to visit weekend after next?"

"As long as by that you mean you here in your room and Marissa at her mother's house in her own bed, I think that would be great."

"Well, we can talk about the finer points later. I gotta go. Love you."

Seth closed his phone and proceeded into the library to find a book on the Age of Enlightenment. Back in her office, Kirsten decided to take her own advice and get over her mini-depression. She walked into the conference room to discuss the layout with Julie.

That evening, Ryan sat along at a small round table in the back corner of the dining hall with a book he had picked up that afternoon. Only a couple chapters in, he had decided to try and get through it by the end of the week. He was only pecking at his meal, a ham sandwich and fries. He was so involved in the book, he didn't hear the boots approaching his table until the voice attached spoke up.

"On the Road, huh?"

Looking up, he saw Layla standing in front of his table. Her hair was drawn back into a ponytail that ran over her backpack. She held a tray with a chicken sandwich, chips and a cup of pink lemonade. Without an invitation, she sat down in the seat next to him and tried looking over his shoulder at the words on the page.

"Some friends recommended it," he answered, trying hard to not look in her direction.

"Same friends as in that picture on the door?"

"Yes."

"Hey, I got a kinda 'sex vibe' off of that thing. You have the hots for that girl?"

"No." he lied.

"The guy?"

"He's my brother. And before you ask the question again, that means the answer is no."

"Wow, it's like you've known me for years," she deadpanned. "So where are these supposed friends of yours, Ry?"

"Well, Miss Crowne, is you must know; they go to USC. By the way, didn't you make me promise to avoid you for awhile?"

"Yeah, decided that was a stupid rule. I mean, hey one of mine, so no big surprise there. Figured the best course of action was to… hey what did I tell you about that Miss Crowne, B-S?"

"What did I tell you about calling me Ry?"

"That you found it to be charming and attractive. I think there was poetry involved."

Ryan scoffed at her for a response and tried to return to his book. Before he managed to finish the paragraph he was on, Layla's drawl chirped back in.

"So, it's cool if I just chit-chat with myself, right? I've always found all silences to be uncomfortable ones. It's kind of weird 'cause I don't just act this way around strangers. I can't share a comfortable silence with anybody; not my mom, my little brother, extended family, friends—"

"Casual flings," Ryan added without looking up from his book.

"Oh, I see how it is," Layla began, talking while chewing through her chicken sandwich. "I've done you wrong, so you go all quiet and broody on me. Man, have I ever got you pegged. That's cool. I can do that, too. All I'm gonna say is you really have no reason to be mad at me since you did everything I did last night. Well, almost everything."

Determined not to look at her, Ryan attempted to bore through his book with his eyes. Not really reading anymore or concentrating on anything in particular, he started to raise his eyes towards her. Still he let the silence hang a little longer before speaking.

"I'm not seeing anybody," Ryan hadn't even realized he wanted to talk to her until the statement was already out of his mouth.

"So?"

"Well it was your question, I just answered it."

"I crossed that question out, it doesn't count. Besides it was just a long time since I woke up with somebody who had baby pictures. It's just different with guys who are parents. I have dad issues."

"You've got some kind of issues," Ryan joked. In response to it, Layla hit his arm, HARD. It was how you hit somebody if you really wanted to cause them physical pain. A girl had never hit him like that before. "Ow."

"Don't be a baby. And don't be a jerk; it doesn't suit you. Believe me, that's my area of expertise. Plus I don't need this shit. It's not like there aren't plenty of other people around here that would love my company. I'm a people-person."

Remembering what happened last time, Ryan holds back from making any noise in response to that last statement. Instead he looks up from book to see her breaking up her chips with a fork.

"So why exactly are you sitting with me? I get that you changed your mind, but I have to admit I'm curious as to why."

"Beats me. Like I said last night, you mess me up. Make me act all crazy-like. You're like some stray puppy or something."

"So," Ryan began slowly, looking her in the eye. "This mean you want to be a co—"

"Don't even say the coup— word. You don't mess me up that much. We just had sex, no need to propose or anything, Mr. Responsible. Let's just say I'll take pity on you and hang out with your sorry butt."

"So not even friends?"

"Nope, but hey at least you can still enjoy the 'with benefits' part. But, I'll probably leave you in the middle of the night and never talk to you again. Just so you're prepared."

"Thanks a lot. You know I act different around you too."

"Ain't we a couple of misfits. Wanna blow this pop stand?" she asked grabbing his book from his hands.

"I suppose," Ryan answered standing and picking up his tray.

"Well don't be all excited, it ain't like you'll get lucky or anything."

"Huh," Ryan said mostly to himself as he followed her away from the table and towards the doors. "It really is a brave new world."

"Is that some literature reference? God, I'm hangin with dorks now."